This application is submitted with a computer program listing appendix on a compact disc containing copyrighted material. The appendix consists of one compact disc with 5 files entitled:
getimage.txt (text file) 13 KB Created: Dec. 21, 2000
agecases.txt (text file) 31 KB Created: Dec. 21, 2000
compress.txt (text file) 36 KB Created: Dec. 21, 2000
savegs.txt (text file) 4 KB Created: Dec. 21, 2000
showgs.txt (text file) 8 KB Created: Dec. 21, 2000
The contents of the compact disc are incorporated herein by reference. A duplicate copy of the compact disc was filed. The copyright owner has no objection to the facsimile production by anyone of the patent document or the patent disclosure, as it appears in the Patent and Trademark Office patent file or records, or otherwise reserves all copyright rights whatsoever in the appendix.
The present invention relates to the recording, storing, viewing and archiving of digital images, and more particularly, to converting digital images into dynamic video and HTTP formats to develop a server accessible case record including a dynamic video series of images and a lossless still image, and archiving in a timely manner the complete image data for a case.
Graphic images can generally be stored on magnetic media and magneto-optical disks, or CD-Roms. Graphic images are stored in two general formats, JPEG and GIF.
JPEG is a graphics format with suffix xe2x80x9c.jpgxe2x80x9d while the other popular graphics format is graphical interchange format (GIF) graphics with suffix xe2x80x9c.gif.xe2x80x9d GIF is the most widely used graphics type. However, an advantage of JPEG is that it offers a higher degree of compression, allowing graphics files to occupy less disk storage space, i.e., fewer databits, than GIF, and consequently so that a picture or graphics file stored using JPEG can be transmitted faster.
Compression programs (e.g., Winzip for Windows and Stuffit Expander for Mac) utilize repetitiveness in data files to substitute simple symbolic representations for larger data strings each time the data strings appear. Decompression programs later restore the data back to full form by re-substituting the data strings for their simple symbolic representations.
Many images can be JPEG compressed to as much as 10:1 without undue distortion of the image. The amount of tolerable compression that an image can withstand generally depends on the complexity of the image. If the image has large areas of nonvariant or periodic chromatic integrity, then the image may be compressed a great deal. If the image is a random sea of static image, then no compression is possible, if the goal is to achieve a resulting xe2x80x9closslessxe2x80x9d image. A lossless image is one whose resolution is not diminished by compression.
As a simple example, if an image has at least 4 contiguous pixels per localized color unit, then a 4:1 compression will not alter the resolution of the image at all, rendering it lossless, and yet the 4:1 compression will reduce transfer times to almost xc2xc of their uncompressed times. Higher compression will render the resulting image at least fractionally xe2x80x9clossyxe2x80x9d but will nevertheless often be desirable to minimize memory storage space usage and data transfer times. An appropriate balance must be carefully determined by a user, with shorter transfer times and lower usage of storage space advantages on one side, and clearer resolution on the other.
Plug-ins, usually having the .DLL (dynamic link library) suffix, are often used to facilitate browser access capabilities. Plug-ins enhance a browser""s ability to access data and media of different types and come in many varieties. Common browsers utilize many plug-ins seamlessly to increase web data and media type access. Plug-ins often allow web pages to assimilate video and audio, thus allowing web pages to have multimedia prowess. Common plug-ins for web browsers include Netscape""s LiveVideo and LiveAudio, Macromedia""s director, Adobe""s Acrobat and Apple""s QuickTime.
A CGI (Common Gateway Interface) script is a program that is run on a web server, usually linking the server with another program running on the system such as a database. Typically, a browser requests a URL, which is the script, from the server which executes the script. The script then operates and passes output from other programs back to the server which passes the information back to the browser. Note that CGI scripts can be other than scripts. They can be, e.g., batch files or other executable programs
A server typically has a finite amount of xe2x80x9con-linexe2x80x9d image storage space. It is thus often necessary to use xe2x80x9coff-linexe2x80x9d or xe2x80x9cnear-linexe2x80x9d storage for image archiving. Problematically, images archived to off-line or near-line storage are not as readily accessible in real time as those stored on an image server.
An important practical area for minimizing the storage requirements for lossless images is in angiography, or cardiac imaging. From an angiogram, a doctor can tell whether abnormal blood flow is occurring within the patient""s heart. Angiograms are especially useful when electrocardiograms, computed tomography (CT), nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and other non-invasive techniques fail to reveal critical information required for proper diagnosis.
Cardiac images are often stored using Dicomed format, and specifically, ACC/ACR-NEMA DICOM 3.0 exchange media CD-Rom format. These images can be stored as lossless JPEG images with approximately 2:1 compression ratio and a resolution of 512xc3x97512.
A Thumbnail image is a single frame inline GIF or JPEG, which is taken from the middle of a sequence of images. The Dicom format includes single image 128xc3x97128 or 256xc3x97256 thumbnails taken from the middle of a sequence of 521xc3x97512 resolution, 2:1 compression JPEG images.
A number of products have implemented a mixture of compression techniques and display mechanisms to reduce the bandwidth and storage requirements for video images. Eigen Dualpath (R) has matched the speed of read/write optical drives and JPEG compression as a means to give real time, 1024xc3x97512 pixel dynamic review of cases off of slow media. Philips has produced a modification of the Dicom 3.0 XA standard, adding a lossy, compressed JPEG that would enable real time 521xc3x97512 pixel images from a CD-Rom format.
A problem with existing technology is that Dicomed formatted images are only conventionally convertible into single frame thumbnail images of 128xc3x97128 resolution. The single frame image can only yield static information concerning blood flow and cardiovascular blockage. Dynamic imaging, on the other hand, would provide insight into interrelationships within the heart including those of heart rate and blood flow velocity, flow paths and associated flow inhibitors, and cardio-irregularities and manifestations thereof. Dynamic Dicom-formatted images are not currently accessible via conventional internet browsers, with or without their plug-in companions.
Another problem with existing technology is its inability to retrieve single lossless images from Dicom 3.0 records and present them to a standard xe2x80x9coff the shelfxe2x80x9d internet browser. Conventional technology does not provide an HTTP or internet protocol to interface with Dicom 3.0 XA image records. This means that a remote cardiologist cannot perform analysis of cardiac images and angiograms by selecting a Dicomed image and converting it in real time for viewing via an internet browser. The use of a browser interface is also a low-training method of interacting with users. As hospitals, e.g., implement internet protocols to access and share data, presenting cardiac images on an internet browser is desirable.
A still further problem with existing technology is that resolution of cardiac images is not adequate to meet the bio-medical requirements of today. Single frame conversion of Dicomed formatted images at 128xc3x97128 resolution, as is the conventional limitation, must give way to better resolved imaging capabilities.
It is thus desired to have a readily accessible case record including a lossless image of the biomedical subject of examination by a physician. It is also desired to have video images for examination of dynamic biological functions, such as the beating of a human heart. It is understood that a solution for satisfying these desires will take into account the limited storage space of the image server to be utilized for storing the lossless stills and the dynamic video.
The present invention provides means to use HTTP and internet protocols to interface with, e.g., DICOM 3.0 XA image records. Dynamic video, or a Dynamic Thumbnail(trademark), is generated and stored initially along with the complete case record on an image server in DICOM format, and particularly DICOM 3.0 XA format and/or an updated version thereof. The Dynamic Thumbnail(trademark) is then accessible with a diagnostic viewer and/or an internet browser. Single lossless images are user selected and converted to HTTP format in real time for downloading by the browser. A low-bandwidth modem may be used to access the single image and/or Dynamic Thumbnail(trademark) using the browser. When connected by a high speed network, e.g., 100 base-T, cases can be reviewed using xe2x80x9coff-the-shelfxe2x80x9d ACC/ACR-NEMA DICOM 3.0 XA exchange media (CD-R) format viewers as a plug-in to a standard browser.
The Dynamic Thumbnail(trademark) and the user selected single lossless image are preferably stored together to form a post-diagnostic record of a medical case. Also, means for accessing the entire video from which the Dynamic Thumbnail(trademark) and selected single images are derived is included in the case history, along with patient demographic and study textual information. The Dicom and HTTP formatted image(s) each have a high resolution capability. After a predetermined period of time has passed, the full case record is archived, leaving the single lossless still image and/or the Dynamic Thumbnail(trademark), and the patient demographic and study textual information on the server. Preferably, patient demographic and study textual information, the Dynamic Thumbnail(trademark), the lossless still image and means for accessing them are included in the post-diagnostic case history left behind when the complete case record is archived.
After another, far longer period of time has passed, the post-diagnostic case record is also archived automatically in accord with server storage space requirements. In this way, the post-diagnostic case record remains accessible on the server for a far longer period of time then it would be possible to store the complete case record, given storage space limitations.
In a preferred method of the invention, server accessible case records are generated for post-diagnostic and remote access viewing. First, a master sequence of digital video images is recorded. Next, a post-diagnostic case record is generated including a sequence of thumbnail images and a single lossless still image selected from the master sequence of images. The images of the post-diagnostic case record are formatted to be accessible by a browser over a dial-up connection. Each image of the sequence of thumbnail images includes a selection of interior pixels of one of the digital video images of the master sequence. The sequence of thumbnail images is a selection of consecutive images from the master sequence. The post-diagnostic case record and the master sequence are then each stored on an image server. The master sequence is archived onto a secondary archive medium after a predetermined time.